


Through the Ice

by kirani



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Accidents, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Making Out, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Near Drowning, Water Accident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 06:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15383040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirani/pseuds/kirani
Summary: In which Bitty has an accident and Jack finally gets his head out of his assT rating for makeouts





	1. Chapter 1

When Bitty got back from Georgia after winter break his first year at Samwell, he found the pond frozen over. As soon as he dropped his bag in his dorm room, he grabbed his figure skates and headed straight for it. It was something he had always wanted to do, but growing up in Georgia there weren’t exactly a lot of frozen ponds.

He laced up his skates when he got there and stepped out onto the ice. The surface was smooth and his skates glided effortlessly as he skated a few warm up loops. His breath came out in little puffs as he added speed and went for his first jump.

The takeoff was perfect, but on the landing he felt the ice give way beneath him and he was suddenly plunged into the cold. He screamed with the pain and shock of the icy water and tried to claw his way back up but he couldn’t get a grip.

“Breathe, Bittle,” he told himself.

Once the shock of the cold faded, he again tried to pull himself out but the ice was slippery and his skates were heavy in the water. He tried to wrack his memory for a vague memory of how to escape ice but couldn’t come up with anything.

“Bitty!” the call seemed to come from miles away. Bitty looked up to see Ransom and Holster on the other side of the pond and running around the side to get to him. “Kick your feet up behind you!” Ransom continued.

Bitty kicked but his heavy skates kept pulling him down. Ransom and Holster had reached the closest shore to him and were crawling slowly out to him, Ransom testing the ice strength in front of them as they went with his elbow.

“Keep kicking!” Ransom called as they slowly made their way out to him. Bitty renewed his efforts to kick his feet up and felt them slowly moving up towards the surface. In front of him, Ransom and Holster dropped to their stomachs and advanced slowly on the thin ice.

“I can’t kick any harder!” he sobbed, not quite sure when he had started crying.

“You can, come on, Bitty, just a little more,” Holster assured him.

“Breathe and kick,” Ransom added.

Finally, they reached him.

Bitty kicked and Ransom and Holster pulled on his arms and slowly he slid out of the hole he created in the ice, his skates breaking more ice as they surface. They dragged him, all three on their bellies, to stronger ice, then encouraged him to get up on his hands and knees.

“I can’t,” Bitty cried, when his arms gave out under him as he attempted to raise himself.

“That’s okay, Bitty,” Holster soothed, “Just keep moving with us, okay?”

Slowly, the three of them made it to the shore, Bitty scooting and being helped by Ransom and Holster on their hands and knees. The pair of them helped him onto the snowy bank and Bitty reached for his skates with shaking hands, desperate to be free of them.

“No time,” Ransom said, then nodded to Holster, who scooped Bitty up bridal style, skates and all, and began jogging back to the Haus.

He was shivering violently and trying not to pass out when they finally burst through the door. Jack stood quickly from his spot on the couch and Bitty could hear Ransom explaining what happened as Holster carried him up the stairs.

“Use my bed, it’s closest!” Jack called after them and Holster diverted to Jack’s room, laying Bitty on the floor and unzipping his coat. Bitty reached out to help but his hands shook so much he didn’t get more than a glove off.

Jack and Ransom were soon helping, each unlacing one of his skates, then quickly divesting him of his pants.

“Bits, we need to take your boxers off, okay?” Jack asked gently. Bitty tried to nod but he was still shivering bad enough that it doesn’t really come across.

“Blink twice for yes,” Ransom added.

Bitty blinked twice and felt his soaking wet boxers peeled from him.

Someone helped him up and into the bed, tucking the blankets up around his shoulders. Bitty closed his eyes and willed his body to stop shaking so violently.

“What now?” Holster asked quietly.

“Tea,” Jack said.

“With sugar,” Ransom added. Bitty heard someone leave, then felt the bed dip beside him.

Bitty forced his eyes open and looked into Ransom’s dark, worried eyes.

“Th-Thanks,” he stuttered, his teeth still chattering.

“I’ve got your back, bro,” Ransom answered, a slight smile finally making an appearance.

Bitty looked up and saw Jack awkwardly moving from foot to foot at the door. He smiled at him but Jack’s frown just deepened further.

After a while in awkward silence, Bitty naked in Jack’s bed and Ransom sitting beside him, occasionally touching his arm to check the severity of shivering, Holster returned with the tea.

Ransom helped him sit up, wrapping him in blankets, and Holster helped him slowly drink the tea.

When the shivering finally subsided, they helped him burrow deep into the blankets for a nap.


	2. Chapter 2

He woke a while later to find a t-shirt and sweatpants on the end of the bed for him. He dressed in them, although comically too large, and left Jack’s room, making his way into the kitchen where he heard voices.

“—what was he even doing out there, that ice is too thin!” Jack’s voice comes through first, and Bitty froze, hiding against the wall outside the kitchen.

“He’s from Georgia, it’s not like he knows how to test ice,” Ransom countered.

“But what if you two hadn’t been there?” Jack continued. “He could’ve died!”

“I know, Jack, but we were there, and Bitty’s gonna be okay.”

Bitty seems to have stopped breathing. Why was Jack so concerned for him? Didn’t he hate him?

Bitty took a deep breath and stepped around the corner.

“Hey y’all,” he said shyly. “Thanks for the clothes, and, y’know. Everything.”

Ransom and Holster stood from their seats at the table and folded him into a hug sandwich.

“Told you, bro, we’ve got your back.”

Bitty smiled but couldn’t take his eyes off Jack, who hadn’t left his seat at the table and now had a furious blush over his face. He looked Bitty up and down, before coughing and jumping up to put the kettle on to boil.

Bitty felt himself blush, too, and blamed it on the near hypothermia.

“How are you feeling, Bits?” Holster asked.

“Much better, thank you,” Bitty answered when they released him. He took a seat at the table and looked at his three teammates. “How did y’all know what to do?”

“I’m from Canada,” Ransom answered with a shrug.

“Fair,” Bitty smiled.

Soon the kettle whistled and Jack brought him a new cup of tea, which Bitty gladly wrapped his hands around, smiling up at Jack.

Jack blushed again.

Ransom and Holster exchanged a look.

“Clearly you’re in capable hands,” Ransom said suddenly, rising to his feet.

“Yep, our work is done here,” Holster agreed, joining Ransom in his sudden retreat.

“What?” Bitty started, “Y’all don’t have to leave.”

“See ya round, Bitty,” Ransom ignored him, leaving the kitchen with Holster. “Talk,” he directed at Jack.

Bitty looked back at Jack, hoping that Jack would understand what had just happened.

“Um,” Jack said, running his hand over his hair.

“Are we supposed to talk about something?” Bitty asked.

“I’m sorry,” Jack said, answering exactly zero of Bitty’s questions.

“Sorry for what?”

“I’m sorry for... everything,” Jack said, like it was supposed to clarify things.

“Jack, honey, you’re scaring me a little,” Bitty said gently.

“I just—I haven’t exactly been kind to you,” Jack said. “And I may have said some things earlier that weren’t very fair.”

“To me?”

“About you.”

“Oh.”

“I’m really sorry, and I’d really like it if we could be... friends.” Jack finished lamely.

“We are friends, Jack,” Bitty said with a smile. He wasn’t sure where this was coming from, but he also wasn’t complaining. Maybe Jack didn’t hate him. Maybe he was just really bad with feelings.

“Oh.”

“Can I hug you?” Bitty asked.

Jack nodded and got up from the table as Bitty stood, his arms open. Jack stepped into them, wrapping his arms around Bitty’s shoulders and pressing his cheek into the side of his head.

Bitty tried to let go after a moment, because bro hugs only go so long, even Hockey bro hugs, but Jack just clung tighter.

“Jack?”

That was when Bitty realized that Jack was softly crying onto his shoulder.

“Jack, honey, look at me,” Bitty asked softly, and Jack loosened his grip but didn’t entirely release him. Bitty looked up into Jacks’ watery eyes and gave a small smile. “What’s wrong?”

“I – We almost lost you,” Jack said finally.

“But you didn’t,” Bitty said.

“And I’m so glad.”

“So you’re crying?”

“Bitty,” Jack started, then shook his head, averting his eyes. “Never mind.”

“What is it, Jack?”

Jack slowly looked back up at Bitty. “Can I kiss you?”

Bitty stared at him in shock, then rose up on his toes and kissed Jack. At first, it was closed mouth, sweet, but Jack gripped him hard and made a desperate sound in the back of his throat, and Bitty opened his lips. Jack tilted his head and opened his mouth in response, his tongue flicking into Bitty’s mouth. When they finally broke apart they were both out of breath.

“Well,” Bitty said. “That was unexpected.”

Jack grinned sheepishly and blushed again.

Bitty kissed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr at willdexpoindexter


End file.
